Ingredients
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- (Makes 9 cups)
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 10 large egg whites
- 8 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Material
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
- 1 piece (10 inches) black licorice lace, cut into 40 (1/3-inch) pieces
- 20 whole almonds
- 140 red candy-coated licorice pastels (about 1/3 cup), or pieces of snipped red licorice laces
- Read more at Marthastewart.com: Spring Chick Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Holidays
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated; scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
When turned upside-down, each cupcake becomes the body of a chick. Spread buttercream frosting on a cupcake to anchor it to the serving plate while you are working. Use a small offset spatula to coat the sides thickly with frosting, and then mound more on top to create a dome shape.
Press toasted shredded coconut into the frosting -- it stands in for fuzzy feathers. Hold the plate at an angle while applying the coconut so the excess falls back into the bowl.
Place eyes (made from snipped black licorice laces) on chicks using tweezers. Use a whole almond for the beak and red licorice for the feet and comb; both can be pushed into the frosting by hand.